Dusty May excited to see what Michigan is made of against Matt Painter, Purdue

When No. 21 Michigan and No. 11 Purdue square off on Friday night it’ll be a matchup between two of the presumed favorites to win the Big Ten. Both have been on a tear recently.

Purdue has won seven straight games, while Michigan has won six of its last seven, with the lone loss coming in overtime.

More than anything, though, the contest will be a battle between two of the top college basketball coaches in the country. Michigan’s Dusty May is a bit more of an up-and-comer; Purdue’s Matt Painter has been at it at a high level for a long, long time.

“I mean I think he’s as good of a coach, I don’t ever say anyone’s the best coach, because there’s so many great coaches, 360-plus Division I teams now, but I think coach Painter’s one of the best coaches in all facets,” May said before the meeting. “When you picture what great coaches are, he’s a great teacher. He knows what he’s looking for in recruiting. His humility. The staff he’s assembled around him. He just, he’s excellent in all areas.”

Purdue, of course, is coming off a run to the national championship a year ago. Gone is big man Zach Edey, who helped facilitate the run.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find much dropoff this year. Michigan knows it. That’s a testament to Painter.

“For him to have the longevity and build the type of program where they’re this good every year is extremely difficult,” May pointed out. “They’ve climbed a mountain and now they’re managing to stay at the top of the mountain pretty consistently. So I can’t say enough good things. It’s an honor to compete against him. And we look forward to going in there and seeing what we’re made of.”

It should be an excellent battle.

Michigan leading scorer Vlad Goldin (16.4 points per game) will go against Purdue leading scorer Trey Kaufman-Renn (17.9 points per game).

The game will take place at 8 p.m. ET on FOX on Friday.